Twenty-One (also called Blackjack) is a staple of most casinos. Conventional Twenty-One involves a game of chance between a dealer and one or more players. The object is for the player to achieve a count of his hand closer to 21 than the count of the hand of the dealer; but if the count of the player's hand goes over 21 then the player loses regardless of the final count of the dealer's hand.
The conventional manner of play of Twenty-One is as follows: A standard deck of playing cards is used and each card counts its face value, except Aces which have a value of one or eleven as is most beneficial to the count of the hand. Each player initially receives two cards. The dealer also receives two cards. One of the dealer's cards is dealt face down and the other of the dealer's cards is dealt face-up. In some gaming establishments, the dealer receives his two cards at the same time that each player is dealt his two cards. In other gaming establishments, the dealer initially only receives one card which becomes the dealer's "up" card. After each player has taken additional cards, the dealer then receives his second card.
A player may draw additional cards (take "hits") in order to try and beat the count of the dealer's hand. If the player's count exceeds 21, the player "busts." The player may "stand" on any count of 21 or less. When a player busts, he loses his wager regardless of whether or not the dealer busts.
After all of the players have taken hits or have stood on their hand, the dealer "stands" or "hits" based on pre-established rules for the game. Typically, if the dealer has less than 17, the dealer must take a hit. If the dealer has 17 or more, the dealer stands.
As the game of Twenty-One is played in most legalized gaming establishments, the conventional manner of play requires the dealer to take a hit whenever the dealer's hand is a "soft 17" count. However in other gaming establishments, the dealer stands on a "soft 17" count. The term "soft" means that the Ace is valued as a count of 1, instead of as a count of 11. A soft 17 occurs when the dealer has an Ace and a Six (or multiple cards that add up to 6). The dealer will stand on soft 18's, soft 19's and soft 20's.
After the dealer's final hand has been established, the numerical count of the dealer's hand is compared to the numerical count of the player's hand. If the dealer busts, the player wins regardless of the numerical count of his hand. If neither the player nor the dealer have busted, the closest hand to a numerical count of 21, without going over, wins; tie hands are a "push."
There are other procedures that are included in the conventional manner of play of Twenty-One. One well-known procedure is "Doubling Down." If the player's first two cards have a combined value of 10 or 11, the player may "double down" on his hand. The player turns both of his cards face-up in front of him and makes a second wager equal to the amount of his initial ante. The dealer deals to the player one additional card and the resulting three card hand establishes the numerical count for the player's hand. The most widely used "Doubling Down" rules permit the player to "double down" only on 10 or 11 counts. Other variations allow players to "double down" on 9, 10 or 11; only on 11; or on any two cards.
Another well-known procedure is "Splitting Pairs." If the player's first two cards are a pair, the player may "split" those cards into two separate hands. His original ante is applied to one of the hands and he makes an additional ante for the other hand. The player receives a new second card for each of the split hands. Each of the split hands is played separately and the player proceeds by standing or taking hits until he has achieved a hand count upon which he wishes to stand or busts.
The player may "double down" on either or both of his split hands if he is eligible to do so under the "Doubling Down" rules. The player may split again if he pairs up on either or both of his split hands. In most gaming establishments, a player may also split his hand if both of his initial cards are ten count cards (Tens, Jacks, Queens or Kings). For example, a player can split if he receives a Ten and a Queen, or a Jack and a King, or any combination of ten count cards. Because a hand count of 20 is a good hand to have, most experienced Twenty-One players are reluctant to risk such a hand by "splitting".
Another well-known procedure is "Insurance." If the dealer's up card is an Ace, the player may make an additional "insurance" bet. The insurance bets are made after each player receives his first two cards and the dealer reveals his up card and before any additional cards are dealt. When the dealer's up card is an Ace, each player can wager one-half of the amount of his original ante as insurance against the dealer having a Blackjack, i.e. a two-card 21 count (an Ace and a 10 count card such as a King, Queen, Jack or Ten). If the dealer has a two-card 21 count, the player loses on his original ante but wins two-to-one odds on his second "insurance" bet. Also if the dealer has a two-card 21 count, that round of the game is over and all players lose except those who also have two-card 21 counts who tie or "push" with the dealer. If the dealer does not have a two-card 21 count, the player loses on his "insurance" bet and the round of the game continues.
As used in this disclosure and the accompanying claims, the terms "conventional Twenty-One" and "the conventional manner of play of Twenty-One" mean the game of Twenty-One as previously described and also including any of the known variations of the game of Twenty-One.
Twenty-One has remained remarkably unchanged over the years. There have been a few other modifications proposed to the basic game, but none of these modifications have achieved universal popularity. For example, in the conventional manner of play of a Twenty-One game, the dealer shows one (the "up" card) of his first two cards and the other card (the "hole" card) is kept hidden until all the players have drawn to their hands. One modification involves the dealer showing both of his cards face-up before the players draw. This improves the player's odds of winning and the payout odds have been modified to adjust for this change so that the house's advantage remains.
A disadvantage of conventional Twenty-One is that each round of the game consists of one player's hand against one dealer's hand. Once the player draws his cards and achieves a hand count total on which he wishes to "stand," the player has only a single opportunity to win or lose because the dealer is likewise playing only a single hand.
It can also be very disappointing for the player to be dealt or draw to a hand count of 19 or 20, and have the dealer achieve a card count of 21 on his single hand. There is a need in Twenty-One for a modification in which the player has the opportunity to win more than once on a single hand.
From the perspective of the gaming establishment, the play of a round of Twenty-One takes a predictable length of time. Each player's hand as well as the dealer's hand must be dealt. Each player makes his determination of whether to hit or stand and the dealer deals additional cards to the players as requested. Once this is completed, the dealer plays his hand according to the predetermined rules for the dealer taking hits or standing. Winner's wagers are paid and loser's wagers are collected and the next round of the hand is played.
There is a need for the gaming establishment to increase the amount of revenue generated by the game of Twenty-One in the same time period without simply increasing the size of the wagers made by the player.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of play of the game of Twenty-One which increases the effective number of hands that can be played in the same amount of time.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide that the dealer play two or more hands of Twenty-One using the same "up" card each time while the player retains his same hand for each of the dealer's hands.
It is an advantage of the present invention that more hands of Twenty-One can be played in the same amount of time. This increases the potential revenue to the gaming establishment and provides the player with multiple opportunities to win whenever the player achieves a good hand.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.